If You're Gone

"If You're Gone" is a song by the rock band Matchbox Twenty. It was released in October 2000 as the second single off Mad Season. The song, written by Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas, became a hit on adult contemporary radio, spending two weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. It also reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the band's second best-ranking song, preceded by the single "Bent" from the same album. Rob Thomas never dreamed of the song going out on an album, let alone being a huge success. The horn-driven outro of "If You're Gone" borrows heavily (note for note) from "When the Rainbow Comes" by World Party from their 1990 release Goodbye Jumbo.

Background and writing

Thomas told Billboard magazine that he wrote the song right after he met his future wife. "We were separated for a few weeks and were on the phone all the time, and I was thinking, 'I met this wonderful person,' and I wondered if everything I was going through [with Matchbox Twenty's success] was going to make it too crazy to build a relationship."

You're Gone

You're Gone is the title of

You're Gone (Marillion song)

You're Gone is the lead single from Marillion's 13th studio album Marbles, released in 2004. The song marked a comeback for the band, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart and becoming their first top ten hit since 1987's "Incommunicado". It also made number 8 on the Dutch Top 40.

Background and release

In the studio, singer Steve Hogarth was inspired by a chord sequence generated on a computer by guitarist Steve Rothery, and was able to fit a pre-written lyric around it. Hogarth has said, "It's a simple song. It's about losing a great light in your life and living in the shadow of it, and yet rejoicing in the fact that it was ever there – and it still is there, somewhere." "You're Gone" has been characterised as an address of "romantic disappointment".

Although the band's mainstream popularity had dissipated in the late 1990s, they retained a strong cult following. Three separate versions of the single (two CD versions and a DVD version) were promoted to mailing list subscribers, and the song's commercially friendly sound – notably its current, U2-like feel – made it more accessible to mainstream audiences than previous Marillion singles. Despite "You're Gone" becoming the second-highest new entry of the week and generating renewed media interest in the band, they were denied an appearance on the BBC's flagship chart television show Top of the Pops, and were dismissed by then-BBC presenter Jonathan Ross for being a progressive rock band who write about obscure themes. Guitarist Steve Rothery criticised Ross' archaic perception of the band, saying: "We recorded Script for a Jester's Tear 22 years ago. I think that was when Ross had his own hair."

You're Gone (Diamond Rio song)

"You're Gone" is a song written by Paul Williams and Jon Vezner, and recorded by American country music group Diamond Rio. It was released in June 1998 as the lead-off single from their album Unbelievable. It peaked at number 4 in the United States and number 5 in Canada, in the Country charts of both territories.

Content

The song's narrator has lost a former lover. The good news is that he's better for the time that he spent with her, but the bad news is that she's gone. According to co-writer Paul Williams, the song came about when he and Vezner were talking about the death of one of Williams' old friends, Tom Jans and other people who influenced their lives.

Music video

The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil.

Chart positions

Year-end charts

References

External links